complained that they were freezing; but, in the plight they were now in,
that couldn't be helped, and, besides, Elias had something else to think
about. A terrible longing for vengeance had come over him, and, but for
the necessity of saving the lives of his three lads, he would have tried
by a sudden turn to sink the accursed boat which kept alongside of him
the whole time as if to mock him; he now understood its evil errand only
too well. If the _Kvejtepig_[9] could reach the Draug before, a knife or
a gaff might surely do the same thing now, and he felt that he would
gladly have given his life for one good grip of the being who had so
mercilessly torn from him his dearest in this world and would fain have
still more.

At three or four o'clock in the morning they saw coming upon them
through the darkness a breaker of such a height that at first Elias
thought they must be quite close ashore near the surf swell.
Nevertheless, he soon recognised it for what it really was--a huge
billow. Then it seemed to him as if there was a laugh over in the other
boat, and something said, "There goes thy boat, Elias!" He, foreseeing
the calamity, now cried aloud: "In Jesus' Name!" and then bade his sons
hold on with all their might to the withy-bands by the rowlocks when the
boat went under, and not let go till it was above the water again. He
made the elder of them go forward to Bernt; and himself held the
youngest close by his side, stroked him once or twice furtively down the
cheeks, and made sure that he had a good grip. The boat, literally
buried beneath the foaming roller, was lifted gradually up by the bows
and then went under. When it rose again out of the water, with the keel
in the air, Elias, Bernt, and the twelve-year-old Martin lay alongside,
holding on by the withy-bands; but the third of the brothers was gone.

They had now first of all to get the shrouds on one side cut through, so